Tree rings reveal drought that might have doomed the Hittites

Three years of severe drought could have contributed to the mysterious collapse of the ancient Anatolian empire of the Hittites 3,000 years ago. Tree rings from ancient juniper timber revealed that there was little rainfall in the area from 1198 to 1196 BC, which could have forced the Hittites to abandon their capital, perhaps dooming the civilisation. Some researchers agree with this assessment, but others think it misses the fact that 1190 BC was the beginning of a 200-year mega-drought that extended from Spain to India.